Having an ecommerce website has many benefits, and this concept has gone viral in these days. Many people are joining the craze and building website with DIY software programs. Many do-it-yourself software programs offer its users to build a website in minutes, but still people hire and pay the web designers despite the loads of free DIY software.

The websites that have built with DIY programs haven’t the features that can make a website successful. Statistics shows that the majority of the failed websites are built with DIY software. Now why DYI websites fail and how a web designer can help you get a profitable website.

DIY software typically comes with a preset of templates that allow you to change the background colors, texts, and others. Building the right visuals requires a good knowledge of color plots, image exploitation, text and image layouts, etc.

If you’ve planned to keep your site in succession and want to make money, your website needs the proper visuals. If you receive a huge amount of traffic, you can receive more advertisers, customers, and clients for your services.

And no one is more suited than an expert web designer to fix all your problem(s), who can help you sort out the clutter that the DIY software has made.

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As cool as we think we are (or—more accurately— as our moms think we are), we’re not mind readers. Designing a website takes communication, first and foremost. We need to know more about what you want before we even start building your website, which is sometimes understandably difficult to put into words. So, as a reference, here’s a list of five things we need to know before even starting to design your Magento or WordPress web presence.

What colors do you like? Surprisingly, people often falter when we ask them to define their corporate colors, simply because they do not have any. Not every business has the luxury of accessing a branding specialist, so typically people go with the usual, boring blues and whites. Websites such as EyeDrop.me or COLOURlovers are good starting points for determining your website’s primary color mood.

What websites do you like? Web design is a fairly homogenized field nowadays, where trained eyes such as ours can typically find the same design tropes strewn across different websites to determine what functionality and design choices you, the client, like. This is why we typically ask you for a list of 5-10 websites you like, and another set of websites you dislike so we can at least build a rough design scope in our heads to start the design process.

Do you have any copy yet? As we’ve stressed, we’re not mind readers. Though we have great copywriting resources that can be used on your behalf, we usually barely know anything about your business and it’s typically up to you to write the basic website copy for us to polish and cleanup for grammatical and SEO reasons.

Who are you marketing to? Your website is going to cater to your audience, hence it is important that you know them. Your content, your design, the pages you are going to have will all depend upon your audience. Once you know who your audience is, you also realize what they want from your website. If your business deals with working professionals, you could choose a formal tone, while if it deals with retail customers, you may want to choose an informal one.

Will people even find your site? Oftentimes customers assume that once a website is built, people will start flocking towards the site and make them millions of dollars, all in a span of a few weeks. It’s best to start thinking of how you are going to divert traffic to your site. Let us know in advance if you are interested in social media integration and SEO strategies which will work effectively for your business.

We’ve officially entered the Golden Age of the Internet, where Google is king and Amazon is queen, yet there are still many businesses that don’t have websites set up. Maybe the owners think they’re too small, just them and one or two employees, or perhaps their good or service isn’t really something that can be sold online.

While both may seem like valid points, the fact is that having a website for your business is an absolute essential, no matter what you’re selling or what service you provide. Not all people use the Internet simply for shopping. It’s also an invaluable research tool.

So why do you need a website? Read on to learn about why your business needs a webpage now.

Remember that not everyone is on the same sleep schedule as you. Many people work nights or work from home. They might not pass your store or maybe they don’t watch local TV or read the paper where you’re placing your ads. Your best bet at reaching those customers is online through a Google search. If your business has a page, they can take down a phone number or send an email to a contact address.

By simply having a presence online, your chances of being found by new customers increases indefinitely, much more than it would if you were to hand out a stack of business cards.

Chances are many of your customers will first learn about your business from visiting your site, which then becomes your first opportunity to make a lasting, positive impression. A site that looks clean and is easy to navigate makes a big difference with consumers while a confusing one will drive them away.

Even if you’re not selling your good or service online, a webpage will direct readers looking to contact you, which then leads us to…

Showcase yourself and your message

Whether you’re an artist or you manufacture a good, you have a message. Maybe you love painting landscapes or you’re dedicated to creating environmentally-friendly products. Whatever you do or represent, a webpage is a great way to show off your talents and products for your customers to see.

Artists or manufacturers should always be posting pictures of their work to show off to potential customers. Even if you do not want to sell online (although you should), you have to entice customers enough to come to your shop to check out your products. An image gallery will show off your unique talents and demonstrate the benefits of your business.

Even if your business provides a service, such a plumbing or carpet cleaning, highlight what your service does best and the employees who make it happen. Post pictures of a bathroom in disarray and then an image of the same bathroom after you’ve completed your work or of a carpet before and after it is cleaned. Visual examples let your customers know what they’re getting and how effective your work is.

Of course, you might have too many employees to give each one a page or a blurb, but you can incorporate them into photographs and show them in action. If you offer an at-home service, some customers might like to see exactly who they will be inviting into their home. Pictures help ease their worries.

Reachable anywhere

The days of the phone book have long since passed and the browser is increasingly losing its users. Not all customers are sitting at home searching for a business on their laptops. Many are on the go, searching for a product or service on their phone or tablet, and if they can’t find you, then they’ll go to the person they can find: your competitor.

Opportunity for lead generation and feedback

The goal of any advertising campaign is, at its core, to generate leads that will turn into customers. A webpage can help you get the right kinds of leads that will better help you connect with interested customers, rather than to just a large group of people.

On an added note, your forms can also be a good way of judging how well your marketing efforts are working. By including questions such as ‘How did you hear about us?’ and giving several options, customers can tell you how they found you. If enough people give one answer, such as ‘search engine results,’ then you can better focus your marketing efforts in that direction.

Gain credibility

Before the Internet, most people combed through the yellow pages when they needed to call a car mechanic or find a pet groomer. If you weren’t listed, then you probably weren’t credible. The Internet has taken this a step further. It’s no longer enough to be listed in Google search results. You need a webpage to prove that you’re a credible business.

Simply having a site gives you instant credibility with customers who are searching for your services online. Remember, these are savvy shopper who won’t necessarily go with the first company that pops up. Most shoppers will visit the company’s webpage first to check out what the company is, what it offers and how much it will cost. It gives them a sense of the company without ever setting one foot inside the actual shop.

Without these benefits of having a website, you deprive your potential customers of the opportunity to get to know you and your company a little better. The searching customer will probably go with your competitor, who does have a webpage, because he or she feels that the other company is more trustworthy.

Don’t let (not having) a website hold you back.

Download Your All-in-One Social Media Strategy Workbook

Social Media should be an important part of your business marketing plan. Learn more about the networks, tools, and tips to get the most out of your social media presence. Download your guide today!

The most important thing to remember when you are building a site for your business is that websites are now critical marketing tools. The days of static sites that simply present products or services are giving way to the Web 2.0 boom, and these types of sites are a critical sales vehicle for any type of business.

Finding a web professional who can build these interactive sites is essential for today’s competitive marketplace and they can help you build, develop and even market your business with ease. When you’re searching for the right web professional to join your team, here are the top ten questions to ask during the interview process:

1. Do they build for the search engines?
Making sure your website is compliant with today’s SEO rules and regulations is a critical step for site construction. If a web professional isn’t keeping up to date with SEO guidelines you could be left with a less-than-stellar site that doesn’t get any exposure on the major search engines.

2. Do they check their work for W3C compliance?
W3C compliance is another critical area for websites, and building a site with these rules and regulations in mind can also earn you high rankings on the search engines. This will save you coding work in the future, so make sure the candidate is aware of industry rules and can apply them to all of your projects.

3. Do they have Web 2.0 development skills?
The days of static websites are long gone, and it’s essential that your web professional has the skills and experience to build a web 2.0-friendly site. Avoid getting left behind as the industry grows with the latest Web 2.0 developments; select someone who knows which direction the industry is growing and can help you build your business accordingly.

4. Do they understand your marketing concept?
Building and designing a website in today’s competitive marketplace involves a thorough understanding of the market and sales. Your candidate should be able to understand your marketing goals and build something that attracts your target market appropriately. Remember, you need to build a site that sells to get the traffic and advertisers you need to build your business; can the web professional create a site with this goal in mind?

5. Do they have verifiable references?Checking work history is an important part of your interview process, and can help you learn more about the candidate’s work style, commitment to projects and deadlines, and the types of projects they’ve worked on.

6. Are they committed to ongoing education?
Ongoing education is necessary for all professionals in your organization, especially with the rapidly changing world of the internet.

7. Will they provide you with the code of their projects?
Even when you’re hiring a web professional permanently, you need to have access to their code and work at all times. If they end up leaving or are dismissed for any reason, you don’t want to have to start from scratch – make sure you back up all copies of their work and have access to their projects.

8. Can they sign a non-compete agreement?
Making sure you don’t lose out on business opportunities is an important part of running a successful business; make sure they are willing to make a commitment to your company and sign a nondisclosure and non-compete agreement. It’s a simple step that can protect your business for the long-run.

9. Are they willing to train and lead a team?If you are planning on growing your business or outsource various projects, the web professional may be in charge of developing a system to allocate work. Are they willing to train and build a team, or will they only be working independently? Find out what type of commitment the candidate is willing to offer.

10. What type of programming experience do they have?
While some web professionals do not need extensive programming experience, most will have basic programming knowledge that they can use to build and create a quality system, or even work with programmers and other designers. Check their qualifications for any certificates or other credentials to learn more about their educational experience.
Choosing the right web professional for your site can be challenging, but defining your goals and development plans can help you make a better decision. While every business needs a website, few business owners take the time to map out exactly how the site can help them build their business. Take the time to prioritize your goals, then set out to find the right web professional with these top ten questions.